Guidelines for Success as an Online Student

Viewing the class and taking tests

1. Set aside a definite period of time to watch the class when you know you will be alert and undisturbed.  It would not be a good idea, for example, to watch the class while making dinner.

2. Take notes on lecture.  It is a good idea to take the notes on your computer since you might be able to paste some of the notes as part of your answer to test questions.  When you take the test on lecture, you should have these notes available.

3. You should re-play parts of lecture that you do not understand or put the lecture on hold if you find yourself falling behind in your note-taking.

4. Try to take the test on lecture shortly after you have finished viewing the lectures.  You should try to finish your viewing of the lectures no later than Monday.  Waiting to view lectures until shortly before the test must be submitted on Tuesday is a recipe for failure.

Reading the texts and taking quizzes

1. Set aside a definite period of time for reading class materials.  You should probably count on 3-6 hours of reading material each week.  Try to read the text materials when you are feeling alert and able to focus.

2. You should take notes on your computer. It is a good idea to write a short narrative summary of the main ideas in each article that you read.  These summaries might, at times, be useful in answering quiz questions.

3. When you are planning to take the online quiz, have all text materials in front of you as well as easy access to all your notes.  If you don’t immediately know the answer to the quiz question, do not panic.  Try to identify the particular text the question came from and then review your notes or the text.  Five minutes is a lot of time and you will not receive a grade penalty unless you go a full minute over the time limit.

General guidelines

1. Do not rush to submit your tests or quizzes. 

2. If you do not know the correct answer, give an answer that demonstrates some knowledge of the material covered in the quiz or test for that week even if it is not responsive to the question.  This will earn yu 4 points.

3. If for some reason you find yourself unable to submit the quiz through a fault of Blackboard or your computer, email me as quickly as possible with the correct answer.  If you wish to amplify on your answer, the same guidelines apply.

4. Make sure you take your tests and quizzes on a reliable computer with a reliable web connection.

5. If you find that you are not doing well in the online section, consider switching to the classroom or studio.  This decision should be made sooner rather than later.  In the classroom or studio sections, you might also be able to take advantage of adjuncts which will help you do well in the class.

6. On Tuesday afternoon, you should click on your quiz or test on Blackboard to see your grade and how your answer to the quiz or test question compared to the correct answer.